The hot July moon saw everythin'
by wild wolf free17
Summary: [serial killer AU] Bucky kills them. Steve chooses who, how, and where.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The hot July moon saw everythin'

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Deanna Carter

Warnings: character death

Pairings: Steve/Bucky

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 1780

Point of view: third

* * *

><p>The first time was an accident. Mikey Dyers was big at thirteen, from two streets over, and he hated how Steve always showed him up in class. (It wasn't intentional, Bucky knew, but Mikey was angry about a lot of things, and Steve was an easy target.) Mikey stomped after Steve every day for a week, shouting about fairies and fags, and he knocked Steve's sketchpad out his hands, broke his pencils, tore up his notes.<p>

The first time was an accident. Bucky'd been holding his temper for a week, letting Steve handle it his way. "We're growing up, Buck," Stevie said, all solemn-eyed. "You can't just knock 'em down for me anymore." Mikey Dyers was thirteen and three times Steve size, already growing into himself; Steve'd be thirteen in the summer and looked more like nine. Bucky'd be thirteen in three weeks, but his dad taught him to throw and take a punch.

"You can't just knock 'em down for me anymore," Steve said, and the first time was an accident. It really was.

.

Mikey Dyers stopped struggling after Bucky slammed his head into the sidewalk. He didn't move again at all, and Bucky waited, to see if he was faking.

Steve staggered to his feet and stumbled over, and by then, Bucky'd realized that Mikey wasn't breathing.

He flat out panicked and demanded, "Steve, what do I do?" throwing himself off Mikey.

.

The first time was the only time for years.

.

Steve and Bucky went to the same college after graduating; them separating was never a question. Bucky's mom mentioned, a few times, that he should branch out, maybe find more friends. He was friendly with plenty of people, and popular, but Steve was all he needed (all he wanted, to be honest, but he couldn't see telling Mom that).

Steve said that his mom said the same, a couple of times, but he smiled at Bucky and said, "'til the end of the line, right?" and Bucky nodded, smiling, too.

.

"We have to," Steve said, starting to wheeze just a little, "we have to make it so we were never here."

It shouldn't have worked, but there was a triple homicide five blocks over later that afternoon.

.

The second time was a little less accidental.

Steve hadn't grown much, but Bucky was just under six feet, and he was still popular and well-liked, and people kept telling him to drop that stick-in-the-mud Steve Rogers, that he was such a downer, and always getting into fights.

Bucky got all sorts of dings on his academic record because of Steve Rogers, and Steve was slumped against the wall of the bar, blood on his face, glaring up at the frat boy, and Bucky grabbed the guy's arm, throwing him away.

The guy was drunk, barely staying on his feet, slurring out all sorts of things that Bucky might have been able to brush off if Steve could stand up straight.

Dad taught him to take and throw a punch, and a lot more besides; he'd been a SEAL, once, but he never talked about it, except when he coached Bucky through moves that were more than enough for a drunk kid.

Bucky blinked and the guy wasn't moving anymore, on the ground with Bucky kneeling over him. "Oh, shit," he said because the guy had been with friends, and they'd probably be looking for him any second now, and he wasn't breathing –

"Bucky," Steve said.

He scrambled off the guy and went to help Steve.

.

The second time, their saving grace was that nobody remembered Steve's argument with the frat boy.

They weren't even questioned during the course of the investigation.

.

Bucky was quiet for a few weeks, and Steve was pensive. Bucky focused on his coursework, didn't raise his hand in class, didn't go out when invited, skipped his weekly coffee with the pretty TA.

Steve finally sat him down and said, "I have an idea."

After Steve had laid everything out, Points A through J, with a few Sub-points and an alternate Point E, Bucky asked, "Why?"

It took Steve a couple minutes, tapping his thin fingers on his thighs, licking his bottom lip, before he said, "Watching you with that guy, it was… it felt _amazing_." He peered up at Bucky through his insanely long eyelashes, and he said, "If you don't want to, Buck, I'll never bring it up again."

Bucky took a deep breath and slowly let it out. And then, "Stevie," he said, "tell me the whole thing again."

.

The third time was planned out, start to finish, and by the end, Steve was gasping for breath, hands clutching at Bucky, pressing messy kisses to his face and neck, and Bucky felt _alive_.

The third time, they cleaned everything up and Steve had somewhere to dump the body.

The third time was the beginning.

.

Steve and Bucky _officially_ started dating their junior year of college. Steve was a business major, with a minor in art history, and Bucky was in mechanical engineering. Neither of their mothers talked about them finding other partners, and there weren't any fights after the first semester of their sophomore year.

They got an apartment off-campus together and Steve found a job in a computer lab in the main library while Bucky picked up work at a coffee shop down the street from their place. Bucky moved his study group to the shop for the free pastries (they'd have been thrown away, anyway) and he bought Steve breakfast there every morning, and he was getting As in all his classes, and Steve had a 4.0, too, and life seemed to finally be taking off.

After he finished a major project, just after Easter their junior year, Steve smiled at Bucky and crawled into his lap and whispered Points A through H into the skin at the base of his throat.

.

During the summer between junior and senior year, Bucky took a kick-boxing class while Steve studied up on poisons. Steve planned on getting a master's; he eventually talked Bucky around to it, too.

At the gym, Bucky met and befriended Tim Dugan and Jim Morita – it was Dugan's gym and Morita was on leave from the Marines. They both gave him fighting tips and Morita even took him to a local gun range, just for the hell of it. He started going weekly after that because shooting was _fun_.

Two weeks before the semester started up, they took Bucky's dad's old Buick (the only thing he left to Bucky) and hit the road. Out in the middle of nowhere, as they passed the sixth hitchhiker, Steve nodded, so Bucky pulled over.

.

As his elective his senior year, Bucky took French. He'd already had Russian to fill his foreign language credits, but French looked like it might be fun. Professor Dernier said there would be a major project toward the end and to pick their partners by the end of Friday's class, so Bucky turned to the guy next to him, held out a hand, and said, "Partners?"

The guy shrugged and shook his hand. "Fine with me. Gabe Jones."

.

Gabe was a good guy, and he already spoke German fluently, so while Steve was tied up in his assignments Bucky traded Russian for German. Part of him wished he'd focused on languages instead of engineering, but he figured the engineering would let him go further.

Gabe's good friend Monty Falsworth invited Bucky to his end of the semester rager and of course Bucky brought Steve, who decided to involve himself when one of the dude-bros started harassing a girl, but this time, when Bucky pulled the guy off, he had Gabe and Falsworth backing him up, so the guy melted away without fighting.

Falsworth laughed, and he and Gabe went back to their conversation, but Bucky still felt tension thrumming through him. He looked at Steve, and Steve looked at him, and they left, holding hands, fingers squeezing each other so hard it hurt.

The sixth time was pure opportunity, not planned out anywhere near as thoroughly as Steve would've liked. It was also the first one where he got involved in more than just watching, and Bucky was pretty sure it was the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life.

.

The seventh time happened the summer after graduation, the eighth over Christmas break their first year in their respective Master's programs, the ninth the first week in June, and the tenth as Steve's 24th birthday present. It was the first where Bucky planned everything out, so it was a bit messier than any of Steve's.

After the clean up, back in the safety of their apartment, with Bucky curled around Steve, Steve said, "We need to take a break. I've been studying up on everyone who's gotten caught, and we need to stop for awhile." His fingers were warm, tangled up with Bucky's, his body so frail against Bucky's, and Bucky nodded, head resting on Steve's.

"Whatever you think is best, Stevie," he murmured. "This is your game."

.

The tenth time was the last time for years.

.

Steve and Bucky got married when they were 28, two weeks after attending their high school reunion. Bucky was working at a well-respected company and Steve was managing a non-profit that helped veterans. Bucky still kept in touch with Gabe, and he still went to Dugan's gym, and most days, he thought he was pretty lucky.

Other days, he wanted to kill someone.

For their honeymoon, Steve and Bucky took a week for a road trip, and on the way out of town, Steve told Bucky Points A through K.

.

("Hey, Banner," Romanoff said to her partner, "take a look at this. Might be a serial."

.

"Carter," Director Fury said, "you and Coulson'll be liaising with the locals for this. Take Banner and Romanoff, too, since they're the lucky ones who spotted this bastard."

.

Chief Phillips told Barton and Wilson, "The feds are coming down for this shitshow. Play nice and get this wrapped up as quickly as you can."

As they left his office, Phillips shouted, "Odinson! Get your brother talking to his contacts! There's gotta be someone out there who knows something."

Odinson popped in to say, "Yes, sir," before popping back out to call up his criminal brother. (_Ex_-criminal, Odinson always stressed, but Phillips would believe that after pigs were filling the skies.)

.

They were talking about it on every channel – Bucky flipped through them all before calling, "Steve, get in here!"

"What's up?" Steve asked, hurrying in, before he froze, watching the screen.

"They found Stark's body," Bucky said.

Steve said, "Fuck.")


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The hot July moon saw everythin'

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Deanna Carter

Warnings: character death

Pairings: Steve/Bucky

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 1345

Point of view: third

Prompt: any, any, _Odd start to the day - the FBI just showed up at my apartment._

* * *

><p>"Buck," Steve says as he looks down at his phone. "The FBI just interviewed Ma at her house."<p>

"Well, shit," Bucky says. "What do we do?"

"They can't have much of anything," Steve assures him. "And any way we react is gonna be scrutinized. So let's just take Ma to dinner this week and see what the FBI asked her."

"Okay." Bucky breathes out slowly, resting his forehead on Steve's chest when Steve comes over to stand between his legs. "I gotta get to work, babe," he mutters into Steve's shoulder.

"Act like nothing's changed," Steve tells him.

"Right." They just breathe together for a little while before Bucky stands up. "See you tonight," he says, giving Steve a quick kiss on the lips and heading to work.

Steve doesn't need to be at work for a couple hours yet. And he has no idea – are they being _surveilled_? Or was the interview with Ma on something completely different? It's gonna drive him _crazy_ wondering.

Which… innocent people would react nervously, wouldn't they? Everyone knows the justice system is flawed. So he can act frazzled, but he can't go check the disposal sites. And he can't hide the sketches somewhere better without revealing where they are now. Shit.

He's just glad he never wrote any of the plans down.

.

On Thursday, he and Bucky take Ma out to dinner. Steve isn't sure how to start the conversation he wants to have, but Bucky just grins that charming grin of his and says, "So Stevie told me the FBI talked to you, Mrs. R? What on earth about?" There's bewildered laughter in the tone, that perfect blend of _you can tell me anything_ and _how odd is **that**?_ that on Steve comes off incredulous and annoying.

"Oh, it was just so weird, boys," Ma says. "I mean, they knocked on the door, that pretty little agent and her – well, her partner was off-putting, I can tell you that. He just seemed to be angry the whole time! But Agent… hmm, Agent _Romanoff,_ she's such a nice girl." She sips at her tea. "Anyway, they wanted to know if the two'a ever got into fights in school, and who with, and just all these questions…" She shrugs a little.

"What did you say?" Bucky asks, wide-eyed in interest, face open and empathetic. Steve's steaming mad but Bucky just holds his hand under the table.

Steve's the planner. Bucky's the one with the follow-through. But he didn't – he never planned on anyone noticing and he doesn't know what to do.

"Well, I told them about all those fights, of course," Ma says, shrugging. "They finally ended… must've been a year or two into college, right? Well, they're the FBI so I had to tell them. But I explained it was only you boys protectin' people, standing up to bullies." She huffs a little, that annoyed noise Steve remembers from every parent-teacher conference and meeting with the principal. "They didn't put that in the files, can you believe that! All those fights 'cause you boys were doin' the right thing and it just looks like boys' tussles! But I set those agents right."

"Did they say _why_ they were looking into schoolyard scrapes?" Bucky asks, looking befuddled. Steve just watches, trying to keep his temper. Going to his _ma._ His fingers are itching and Bucky squeezes his hand.

"No," Ma answers, "and you can be sure I asked! But Agent Romanoff said they can't talk about an ongoing investigation. Ongoing investigation, I said, into _what?_ But she just shook her head and called me _ma'am_ and said they'd be in touch if they needed to."

_Shit shit shit_, Steve thinks, squeezing Bucky's hand so hard his own hurts, but he doesn't – he just says, "That's so weird, Ma."

Bucky asks, "And they didn't – just school? That was so long ago… god, we had our ten year reunion just last month, can you believe that, Mrs. R? Ten years. Me and Stevie are gettin' old."

Ma laughs. "Oh, I know. It seems like yesterday that Steve brought you home, knees scraped up and eye bruised 'cause you just _had_ to pull those boys off him." Ma reaches across the table. "Did I ever thank you for that, Bucky? I know, a few times, I tried to get Steve to branch out, make more friends, but that was never because I didn't like you. I just wanted the whole world to see how amazing he was."

Taking her hand, Bucky says, "I know that, Mrs. R. I think it, too. The whole world – but he's got me. And he'll always have me."

Ma nods, pulling her hand back so that the server can give them their dinner.

.

In their car, on the way home, Bucky says, "Fucking hell, what can they actually have, Stevie?"

Steve gnaws on his lip, thinking. Bucky asks, "Should we call up our friends? See if anyone else has been talked to?"

Would innocent people do that?

Yes, actually. Because people tell their friends when weird things happen. "I stayed close to Ma," he says. "But you… you don't really talk to your parents anymore. So you wouldn't call them about this, and if the FBI talks to them, your mom will probably call about it. But Gabe, he's your best friend right?" Bucky _looks_ at him. "Well, I'm your husband, Buck, I don't count. But call him about this. Complain about it. Try to work through what on earth they're lookin' for."

"Okay, babe," Bucky says, leaning over to kiss his jaw.

"Bucky!" Steve shoves at him. "You're driving, idiot!"

"We're at a stoplight," Bucky pouts.

"And it just turned green," Steve points out. "Get us home and then ravish me."

.

So, that night, after Bucky and Steve mutually ravish each other, Bucky calls up Gabe Jones and they talk about the FBI; Gabe's offended on his behalf and has no idea what the FBI could possibly be looking for. Steve just curls up beside Bucky and sketches.

Steve knows exactly what the FBI is looking for because it's been blaring all over the news for weeks: heir of Stark Industries Tony Stark found dead at a construction site, after being missing for around six years. (If Steve had recognized him that night – but he didn't recognize him, not till it was too late. And Bucky flirted with him, got him into their car. And it was the best night…)

They can't have an alibi on hand and he needs to prepare without looking like he's preparing, and he's got so many cases at work, and if Bucky panics –

"Stevie," Bucky whispers in his ear. "Breathe, sweetheart. It's all gonna be okay, I promise." He kisses Steve's chin, his lips, his nose, his forehead. "I promise," he says again.

Steve takes a deep breath, exhales, inhales. "Good, Stevie, that's good," Bucky says. "Breathe with me."

"I just… I don't know what to do," he admits, leaning forward to rest his head underneath Bucky's chin.

"You've brought us this far," Bucky says. "Let me take care of this, okay? Don't worry about it."

"I'll try." Steve closes his eyes, focusing on Bucky's heartbeat, his chest rising and falling.

"Let's go to bed," Bucky says, and then he scoops Steve up before Steve can pull away.

.

All they can do is wait. So that's what they do.

.

(The FBI interviews Gabe Jones. Tim Dugan. Bucky's old study group and Steve's coworkers. They even track down Bucky's sister on her backpacking trip around Australia. Steve didn't have many friends in school, including college, so they got fewer calls about the FBI asking about him.

Bucky's history with fighting seemed to be the main focus. And the way he dominated the various groups he was in. How charming he was. But the FBI never explained what they were actually looking for, so his friends were all angry – "You're a good guy, Barnes," Dugan tells him at Starbucks, Steve seething next to him. "I don't know what they're playin' at."

"I have no idea," Bucky says.)


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The hot July moon saw everythin'

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Deanna Carter

Warnings: character death; police procedures based on Law&Order and Castle and Bones and Criminal Minds

Pairings: Steve/Bucky

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 1270

Point of view: third

Prompt: any, any, an early morning phone call changes everything

* * *

><p>("Okay," Banner says, watching Wilson and Barton pace by the board, "Do we actually have anything at all?"<p>

Romanoff sighs. "No."

"Actually," Carter says, setting down the phone and smirking at Coulson, "Odinson's brother might have just found something."

.

Odinson's brother refuses to come into the station so Carter and Wilson go to him. He only agrees to meet them at a public library and Phillips says to bring Wilson because he and Odinson's brother almost get along. Carter goes because it is far easier to underestimate her than Coulson or Banner, and Romanoff had a follow-up interview with Rogers' mother.

Odinson's brother is tall, pale, and thin. He smirks at Wilson and then gives Carter a dazzling smile that shows his teeth. "Please," he says, gesturing across the table. "Have a seat."

.

Odinson's brother has a witness that might place Barnes within three miles of Stark's last known location. He's a small-time thug with a rap sheet that has everything from assault to murder – he didn't get charged for the last because the only witness went missing. He's a lowlife scumbag and will only talk if it'll wipe his record clean.

"And we can trust this guy?" Banner demands, incredulous.

Carter shrugs. "We can at least meet with him. Coulson, take Romanoff."

"What about you?" Romanoff asks.

Carter smiles. "Well, isn't it time to have a chat with our suspects? I know that Barnes is taking a late lunch at his favorite sandwich shop as he does every Wednesday." She stands and so does Banner. "No, I'll be going alone," she tells them.

"This man may have killed a dozen people," Coulson tells her severely.

"Yes, I am aware," she shoots back, raising an eyebrow. "Which is why we won't leave the shop.")

.

The FBI agent slides in across the booth with a, "Hello, Mr. Barnes-Rogers. How's your day so far?"

Bucky grins at her. "Pretty good. My last project just got snapped up by the consultant I wanted and should start sometime next week." He takes a bite of his sandwich and makes her wait while he chews, swallows, and sips his sweet tea before adding, "Might be better, though, if I knew who I was talkin' to, sweetheart."

He knows who she is, of course; she matches Gabe's description perfectly.

"Agent Carter," she says, showing him her badge. "I won't take up too much of your time."

Bucky scoffs. "You've been talkin' to my friends, people I went to school with, even Steve's ma – for weeks, Agent. You know what that tells me?"

Her smile is chilly. It reminds him of Steve's iI have to be polite but I'm gonna let you know how pissed I am about it/i smile. Teachers used to get it a lot. "Please, do share, Mr. Barnes-Rogers."

He chuckles. "Just Bucky, ma'am. I'm at lunch." She nods, so he continues, "Well, you asked about the fights. How I'm normally in charge wherever I go. How I make friends so easily." He chuckles again. "Also, you should tell that Banner guy that he freaked Mrs. R out and that's not cool."

"I'll let him know," Carter says.

"Anyway." Bucky shrugs, taking another bite, making her wait some more. Then he says, "I only fought people who were bullying, and I haven't been in a fistfight in – god, gotta be at least eight years. I only take over if there needs to be a leader. And I make friends because I like people, Agent Carter. So why don't you tell me what you're really lookin' for?" He meets her gaze and settles back into the booth, body language open.

She asks, "Where were you on December 12, 2008, _Bucky?"_

He laughs loudly, shaking his head. "2008?" he repeats. "Well, December 12, that woulda been at the end of the semester, so I was either partying or studying. I'd have to know the exact day for sure." He gestures to his side, where his phone is hooked to his belt. "You mind if I check?"

"It was a Friday," Carter says.

"Well, then I was partyin'," he answers. "Probably at – shit, I don't know. Gabe had this friend – Monty? His last name started with an F, I think. Anyway, that was – I know I didn't have any tests that Friday, I'd finished on Thursday." He shrugs again. "Stevie had a final for this class he hated that morning, so I slept in and then I met him when he was leavin' campus and we went to Monty's party, it started at, like, two?" He laughs. "And then I got drunk. Any more questions? I've got about five minutes before I need to get back to work." He finishes off his sandwich.

Carter gives him that smile again. "Thank you for your time," she says. "We'll be in touch." She slides out of the booth and walks away.

He watches her go, of course, because she's gorgeous. Then he calls Steve and says, "You'll never guess who I just talked to."

.

(Odinson's witness is Brock Rumlow. He hates Coulson on sight and hits on Romanoff incessantly, in turns offensive and insulting.

According to his story, he was at Montgomery Falsworth's end-of-the-semester party for the Fall 2008 semester. Anthony Stark went missing from that neighborhood; he had been visiting his friend James Rhodes.

Brock Rumlow's testimony is at best circumstantial and certainly not enough to grant him a clean record. He stops being cordial the moment Coulson informs him and then storms out.

Romanoff sums up the entire ordeal with a succinct, "Fuck.")

.

Steve's still at work when Bucky gets home. Bucky feeds the dog and cat and starts throwing together leftovers for when Stevie shuffles in. He sings along to his _getting shit done_ playlist and goes through them in his head, all eleven of them. It's only been a few weeks since the last, and he knows that body hasn't been disturbed.

He wishes he knew what the cops know. He's working blind. It's driving Steve up the wall, not having all the facts, but Bucky – well, it's kinda fun. He's just glad they're focusing on him because if it comes down to it, he'll confess to everything and swear that Steve never had any idea at all.

"Buck?" he hears Steve call, and then, "Get down, you monster! Bucky, your dog is drooling all over my work suit!"

Bucky laughs. "Yeah, well, your cat hacked up a hairball in my favorite shoes, so I think we're even."

Winter follows Steve into the kitchen, and then comes over to sit on Bucky's feet and beg for more dinner. "I already fed you, mutt," Bucky tells him, pressing a quick kiss to Steve's forehead. "I made an appointment for Captain at the vet, babe," he says. "That's the third time he's hacked something up in two weeks."

"Alright, let me know when, I'll put it in my calendar. Dinner smells good." Steve leans in again, pressing a kiss to Bucky's jaw.

Bucky tilts his head to give Steve more access, turning the stove off, and then he spins around to grab Steve and kiss him senseless.

.

("What's your take on him, Carter?" Coulson asks. The whole team is gathered around the conference table because Carter had first contact with their main suspect. There are others, of course, but only Barnes has been at or near the last known location of over half the victims.

"Charming, of course," she says. She taps her fingers against the table and then looks up to meet Coulson's eyes. "My gut instinct is that he did it.")


End file.
